Success! I think...

The cranberry honey wheat ale is pretty good. While the cardamom (used only a quarter teaspoon) is a little strong, but I can tell it's diminishing as the beer bottle conditions. Good stuff, and a nice uncharacteristcally flavorful hefeweizen, though the honey ended up a little subdued. I'll have to put up some pics of it, though it's not quite as carbonated/heady as my Bitter Belgian, though I think that's because it is a hefe and has only been conditioned a bit over two weeks (in my experience at least, hefes aren't as heady as many beers). By the third week, it'll be much nicer, I'd wager.

I simply cannot wait to try the sparkling peach, which smelled great going into the bottles. It'll be one week of conditioning this Wednesday. It'll take a boatload of self-control to leave that young, as-of-yet undeveloped beer alone for another couple weeks until it's the nectar of the gods.

On a side note, am I the only one who doesn't really bother with gravity readings? I assume that along the way some alcohol will be made and I haven't been disappointed so far. But I'm primarily interested in making a good tasting beer while learning along the way...and I do think that I'm getting better, having had three batches down. In the grand scheme of beer I guess OG and FG aren't that big a deal in my eyes.

Grats on the success! I too recently bottled a Hefeweizen (my first AH Hefe) and I'm just sampling the first bottle, which was put in the fridge because I ran out of room in my bottle cases... Tasty stuff and I too will have to exhibit great self control.

I didn't take gravity readings either when I first started extract + steeping grains because I knew (or at least had a pretty good idea) what the OG would be if I used say, 7lbs of DME for a 5 gallon batch. I suppose the FG was just assumed to have been 1.012 - 1.015 or so, but taking and comparing gravity readings are really the only sure-fire ways to tell if your beer fermented out properly. Bubbling or non-bubbling airlocks only tell so much... Are you an extract or AG brewer? If not now, when you start AG brewing, you'll want to take readings so you can find the efficiency of your sparge at the very least. I wouldn't be too happy if I used say, 10 lbs of grain for a typical batch and ended up with a 3.2% ABV beer...

Your'e not the only one who doesn't take gravity readings. I have in the past and maybe will again someday, but for right now, I just want to make beer I enjoy. My thing is I'm afraid to contaminate my brew by messing with it to much. Once the wort is cooled , I get real paranoid about infection so I just leave it alone until I see no signs of fermentation.

EinGutesBier said:

On a side note, am I the only one who doesn't really bother with gravity readings? I assume that along the way some alcohol will be made and I haven't been disappointed so far. But I'm primarily interested in making a good tasting beer while learning along the way...and I do think that I'm getting better, having had three batches down. In the grand scheme of beer I guess OG and FG aren't that big a deal in my eyes.

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To each his own. Just don't come crying back here when you end up with 2 cases of gushers and/or bottlebombs because your beer stopped too high and wasn't finished fermenting and went into bottle anyway but you had no way of knowing any of this because you didn't feel like taking SG readings. Or when you start mashing and you have no idea why your beer tastes like water because you had no way of knowing that your OG was 1.025.

I've had more than my fair share of gushers and a couple bottle bombs in my time, so I speak from experience...I used to shun hydrometers too. All it takes is one ruined batch, and you'll be overnighting a hydrometer to yourself. I don't mean to sound dickish, I'm just giving you fair warning. To each his own, like I said...but...it's SO easy to take a hydrometer reading, and they're not that expensive.

and there's not much worry about contamination at all if you use proper sanitation, especially after the beer is done fermenting

DeathBrewer said:

and there's not much worry about contamination at all if you use proper sanitation, especially after the beer is done fermenting

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Contamination has always been my worry so I have always gone with the "Bubble Theory" with my beers. Well, no more. With Star Sans, no reason not to take proper Hydrometer readings prior to Bottling.

Can someone tell me more about what to look for in gravity readings or point me in the right direction. Also, what is Star Sans? I've been using the one step- no rinse.

If it's a recipe I've brewed many times, if it's extract, and since I keg, I don't worry about hydrometer readings. I can taste the stuff on the way to the secondary and tell how well it's attenuated.

If it's AG or partial mash, I do hydrometer readings during the mash and before pitching. I usually do them when racking (although I sometimes forget) and if I need any more information.


TL

I haven't done AG yet, so I like to think hydrometer readings aren't quite as important for me. Although I've done them before, gravity readings have already told me what I've suspected - that the fermentation process is largely over.

It probably is pretty slacker-like to not take the time to take some readings, but when you're only doing 2.5 - 5 gallon batches, it seems like you're robbing yourself of precious few ounces to do a hydrometer reading, especially for the 2.5 gallon batches. Still, I should get back into that habit...if your own experience isn't enough to convince me, I had a geiser bottle today, so that settles that.

If you take a few minutes to sanitize your hydrometer and sampling flask, you don't have to waste your sample. If you drink your sample, you don't waste it, either, and you learn a few things about how beer moves along.


TL

I know I am SUPPOSED to take readings, but... I have nailed most of my problems to temp so far. Plus I have only done extracts to this point. Though, it would be nice to know the alcohol content of my brews. I have even had a hydro from the word go, and just never used it.
Damn, I guess I'm just lazy.

mw20 said:

Your'e not the only one who doesn't take gravity readings. I have in the past and maybe will again someday, but for right now, I just want to make beer I enjoy. My thing is I'm afraid to contaminate my brew by messing with it to much. Once the wort is cooled , I get real paranoid about infection so I just leave it alone until I see no signs of fermentation.

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Yep everyone is paranoid at first. Sanitation is hugely important, but if you are not afraid to pour it into a bucket you shouldn't be afraid to take some out using a sanitized measuring cup or what ever. After all its easier to sanitize a cup then it is a bucket.

With experience comes confidence, don't be affraid to become confident.

Just my 2 pesos